Unfortunately, accidents happen. When they do, rest assured that our team at Sandcastle Pediatric Dentistry is here to help. Dental Emergencies are seen promptly. During office hours, please call us at (562) 597-2448 so we can prepare for your arrival.
Outside of office hours, please call the office and follow the prompts to leave a message on our emergency line. The doctor on call will call back as soon as possible.
Give your child Tylenol or Motrin, provided your child is able to take these over-the-counter medications. These two medications can be alternated every four hours if needed. Call our office in the morning.
Note: Please do not place aspirin or any medication next to the tooth as it causes damage to the gums.
Only baby teeth that are ready to come out should be loose. (First tooth should become loose around 5 1/2 years old.) Expect some bleeding from the site of the tooth that was wiggled out for about 10 minutes. This can be controlled with gauze or a clean, damp washcloth.
If your child has fallen or has been hit in the face, do the following: If your child lost consciousness at any point, seek medical attention promptly to evaluate for potentially dangerous head trauma. With no loss of consciousness, attempt to control the bleeding with a washcloth or paper towel. If the bleeding is controlled and all of the teeth are in place, give your child some pain medication and call us in the morning for an exam and film. If the bleeding is not controlled after 20 minutes, teeth are displaced (child cannot close mouth because biting on teeth in the wrong place), or teeth are missing (baby teeth are not re-implanted because of the poor success rate and high risk of damage to the developing permanent tooth), please call the office at (562) 597-2448 and leave a detailed message in the after-hours emergency voicemail box. The doctor on call will be paged.
If there is any chance that your child lost consciousness or you suspect a concussion, these conditions need to be ruled out by a medical professional before treating a loose permanent tooth. There may be bleeding from around the tooth, injury to the lips and gums or from inside the tooth, if there is fracture or “chip”, or the tooth itself. Control the bleeding from lips and gums with gauze or a clean, damp washcloth with 10 minutes of pressure. Call the office so we can discuss the treatment needed.
Baby teeth stay out of the mouth if they have been knocked out. Sometimes the baby tooth is pushed all the way back up into the gums and appears to be missing. Control bleeding and call the office at (562) 597-2448 and follow the prompts to leave a detailed message for the doctor on call.
Ice can be applied to any bruised areas. For bleeding, apply firm (but gentle) pressure with sterile gauze or a clean cloth. If the bleeding does not stop with pressure or continues after 15 minutes, go to an emergency room.
